The present invention relates to auxiliary equipment for radio communication transceivers, and, more particularly, to an inventive universal adaptor and an inventive docking station for connecting various types of cellular telephones with a conventional telephone or telephone line, and to a telephone system utilizing such an adaptor to provide communication and auxiliary telephone services between cellular telephones and conventional telephones or telephone lines.
There is growing concern about the safety of hand-held cellular telephones, because they emit microwave radiation near the user""s brain. Near the antenna, power densities as high as 300 W/m2 are common. Studies have shown that long term exposure to radiation power densities as low as 5 W/m2 can produce mutations in cell cultures.
One efficient method of reducing radiation while at the same time, making the use of cellular phones more convenient, is to connect a cellular phone to a plain old telephone (POT) or the like by means of a cellular phone docking station, such that incoming cellular calls can be received on the POT, and outgoing cellular calls can be conducted from the POT. A prior art device featuring a combination charging circuit and docking station 110 for hand-held cellular transceivers is shown in FIG. 1. Device 110 enables the coupling of hand-held cellular transceiver 212 with a standard telephone-type communication device 108, such as a facsimile, modem, plain old telephone or any other device that would normally be coupled to a standard telephone wall jack.
One deficiency of currently-known docking stations is that they are generally appropriate for a cellular transceiver of a particular manufacturer (and often, for a specific model). The mechanical connections, voltage, protocols, etc. tend to vary from model to model and from manufacturer to manufacturer, particularly in view of the constant improvements in the performance and capability that are designed into cellular transceivers.
Consequently, a docking station that is purchased today may be inappropriate for the model of tomorrow, or for the cellular transceiver of a guest or colleague. It would be advantageous to have a system in which a docking station would be suitable for use in conjunction with any present-day, commercially-available cellular transceiver, or with any cellular transceiver that becomes commercially-available in the future.
Moreover, when conventional telephone lines and/or service are down, unreliable, or slow, the functioning of companies, hospitals, police stations and various kinds of organizations may be crippled. Sophisticated internal telephone networks are essentially of no use with regard to communication with the outside world. It would be of great advantage to have a system that enables incoming calls to various cellular transceivers to be connected and routed through such internal telephone lines or networks to the appropriate destination, even when the conventional telephone service is impaired or not functioning. It would also be of great advantage to have a system enabling outgoing calls to be routed from a telephone unit connected to the internal telephone network to an external telephone or telephone line. This would allow even large internal networks to communicate with external phones in a substantially normal fashion, despite local problems with the conventional telephone company service.
According to the present invention there is provided a system for connecting between at least one radio communication transceiver and at least one conventional telephone including: (a) at least one detachable adaptor, each adaptor having (i) a cellular transceiver docking connector, the connector operatively connected to the radio communication transceiver, and (ii) an interface module operatively connected to the docking connector, wherein the module is designed and configured for utilization of at least one protocol that enables information transfer between the conventional telephone and the transceiver.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for routing a call to and from at least one radio communication transceiver, the method including: (a) providing a system including: (i) at least one radio communication transceiver; (ii) a detachable adaptor for each transceiver, each adaptor having: (A) a cellular transceiver docking connector, the connector operatively connected to the radio communication transceiver, and (B) an interface module operatively connected to the docking connector, the module designed and configured for utilization of at least one protocol that enables information transfer between the conventional telephone and the transceiver; (iii) a transceiver docking station for each transceiver; (iv) a system controller unit for controlling operation of the system, and (v) a plurality of conventional telephones, each of the telephones operatively connected to the system controller unit, such that each transceiver is operatively connected to at least one docking station and at least one adaptor; (b) connecting each radio communication transceiver, via the adaptor, to the transceiver docking station for each receiver, and (c) routing a call between the radio communication transceiver and at least one of the conventional telephones by means of the system controller unit.
According to further features in the described preferred embodiments, the call is an incoming call from the transceiver to at least one of the conventional telephones.
According to further features in the described preferred embodiments, the call is an outgoing call from one of the conventional telephones to one of the transceivers.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the system further includes a conventional telephone switchboard, one or more calls being normally routed by the switchboard, and the routing is performed solely according to a pre-determined condition.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the pre-determined condition is selected from at least one of the group consisting of disabled telephone company service, partially disabled telephone company service, overloaded telephone company service, and a manual override of a telephone company service.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the radio communication transceiver is a cellular transceiver.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the system further includes: (b) a transceiver docking station, operatively connected to the adaptor.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the detachable adaptor further includes: (iii) a docking station connector for connecting between the adaptor and the docking station.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the docking station includes: (i) a mechanical interface operatively connecting to the docking station connector, and (ii) a controller, operatively connected to the interface, for identification of the transceiver and for operation of at least one protocol.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the docking station includes: (i) a mechanical interface operatively connecting to the docking station connector, and (ii) a controller, operatively connected to the interface, for identification of the transceiver and for selection and operation of at least one protocol based on the identification.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the docking station is a modular docking station.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the controller is further designed and configured to determine and implement a voltage based on the identification.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the system further includes a plurality of modular transceiver docking stations, each of the modular docking stations operatively connected to one of each adaptor.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, each adaptor further includes: (iii) a docking station connector for connecting between each pair of adaptor and docking station.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, each of the modular docking stations includes: (i) a mechanical interface operatively connecting to the docking station connector, and (ii) a controller, operatively connected to the interface, for identification of the transceiver and for operation of at least one protocol.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, each of the modular docking stations includes: (i) a mechanical interface operatively connecting to the docking station connector, and (ii) a controller, operatively connected to the interface, for identification of the transceiver and for selection and operation of at least one protocol based on the identification.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, at least two of the modular docking stations are connected in series.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the modular docking stations are operatively connected to a system control unit.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, each of the modular docking stations is equipped with a first connector for receiving an external power supply and an external communication, and with a second connector for transmitting power from the external power supply and transmitting the external communication to at least one other modular docking station.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, each of the modular docking stations includes has a bypass switch, such that upon activation of the switch, the power from the external power supply and the external communication are bypassed to a subsequently-disposed station of the modular docking stations.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the first connector and second connector of the modular docking stations connected in series are complementary connectors.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the complementary connectors are connected to form a male-female connection.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the system further includes: (c) a telephone unit operatively connected to the docking station.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the telephone unit includes: (d) a computer connection and/or (e) a fax connection and/or (f) a connection to an internal phone system.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the system includes a plurality of pairs, each of the pairs including a detachable adaptor and a docking station.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, each of the pairs has an operative communication connection to a system controller unit.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, each operative communication connection is in a parallel configuration.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, each operative communication connection is in a series configuration.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the system further includes (c) a telephone unit including: (i) at least one conventional telephone receiver.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the telephone unit further includes: (ii) a keyboard for making telephone calls, and (iii) a display operatively connected to the keyboard.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments, the telephone unit further includes: (iv) a receptacle for a cordless telephone receiver, the receiver being operatively connected to the conventional telephone receiver.